Solubilização de amostras biológicas visando a determinação de chumbo e ferro por espectrometria de absorção atômica

Abstract

This study describes the determination of total content of lead and iron in chicken meat samples commercialized in the city of Juiz de Fora, Brazil. In addition to the total content, determined in heart cuts, thigh, liver, gizzard, breast and drumstick, iron bioaccessible fraction in breast and liver cuts was determined after cooking in iron pot. The analytes levels were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. The total lead content was determined by graphite furnace atomization after two sample preparation methods: microwave-assisted acid digestion, using dilute acid solutions and solubilization in an alkaline medium, using TMAH® reagent. In both preparation methods, it was not possible to quantify the analyte because the levels found were below the limit of quantification. However, the signals of integrated absorbance, limits of detection (Acid medium: 0.097 μg kg-1 and Alkaline medium: 0.099 μg kg-1) and quantification (Acid medium: 0.32 μg kg-1and Alkaline medium: 0.33 μg kg-1) and characteristic mass (Acid medium: 10 pg and Alkaline medium: 13 pg) obtained for the lead after two sample preparations showed the same order of magnitude, demonstrating that the sample preparation in alkaline medium is a good alternative to acid digestion due to its higher analytical frequency and also it suits the routine analysis. Both methods for lead were evaluated in terms of accuracy, with deviations smaller than 15%, and through addition to recovery tests, with ranges between 83 and 110%. The total and bioaccessible iron fractions were determined by flame atomization after acid mineralization and in vitro gastrointestinal digestion simulation method, respectively. The raw viscera cuts had total iron content larger than those of muscle samples with differences up to 87%. The accuracy and precision of the method were evaluated through recovery tests and analysis of certified reference material, with range between 91-110% of recovery and deviations less than 5%. The iron bioaccessible fractions in breast and liver after cooking in iron pot were 23% and 56%, respectively, which indicates that liver is a good source of iron. The Raman spectroscopy was used to monitor the mechanisms of solubilization of raw chicken cuts in alkaline medium. The results indicate that TMAH® acts in the decomposition of some compounds such as amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids and proteins, due to changes in the spectral profile of the samples before and after the treatment. These data indicate that this type of preparation can be used for the extraction of metals bound exclusively to these compounds.